The Boeing 314 “Clipper” was a long-range flying boat produced by Boeing in response to Pan American’s request for a flying boat with unprecedented range capability. It is comparable to the British Short Empire.

Experience
The level of service on the Boeing 314 was of a very high standard. Passengers had a 14-seater dining room with linen tablecloths, crystal glasses and a full waiter service. About 300 lbs of food would be loaded for a transatlantic flight with all the food prepared by two stewards.

The high level of comfort was fairly essential as some of the westbound sectors from Foynes to Botwood stretched to as much as 17 hours. Passengers would find their shoes cleaned and polished overnight and each passenger had a bed to sleep in during the flight.

Flight deck
The design of the flight deck on a Boeing 314 Clipper broke new ground–it’s flight deck took new steps to address the problem of crew fatigue on non-stop ocean flights. Every flight on a Boeing 314 had a minimum of 11 crew but more often than not it would also have training crew on board.

A cross section of the interior of the Boeing 314 shows the anchor and gear room at the bow of the plane, which also held a mooring post. From this room a gangway leads up to the bridge which is entirely lined in black to eliminate glare. Here two pilots handle controls which fly the plane. At the back of the bridge is the navigation and radio room. It is the directive brain of the ship. Behind this is the cargo hold, whose main contents would probably be mail.

Passenger area
Below, are the galley and dining lounge. Stretched along the length of the ship are seven passenger compartments. The one in the ship’s tail is a deluxe compartment corresponding roughly to a ship’s bridal suite. At the bottom of the plane, pumps force gasoline stored in sponsons up to the wing tanks and engines. On the plane’s very top, shown in cut-through (above) is the celestial observation turret from which the Flying Boat’s position is checked by sun and stars.

There is more detail on the B314, and much more besides, in our souvenir book available at the gift shop in the museum and in our on-line shop